FOUNDATIONS OF LOVE

 

I The Foundations of Love – 1 John  3:21-24 – Sept 30, 2007

 

Intro:  It seems that we are spending a long time in this book, but remember it is powerful, truthful, simple, encouraging and talks extensively about a subject we need as much as we need to breathe.  Love.  As one southern black preacher stated, “If you love another, you are loving God.”

 

Dear friends, if our hearts do not judge us, we can be bold with God.  NIV

 

1.  John again calls the audience his friends.  This phrase along with my dear children is

     His two greetings in this book.  He looks at all believers as friends.  You might say a

     Stranger who can be a friend you have not met yet.

 

2.  John says, if our hearts do not judge or condemn us, we can be bold before God.  In   

     My last message on John we learned, how to have our hearts not condemn us.  We are

     To love one another, enter into new life, live for others, meet needs when it is  

     within Your ability, put love into action and hold onto truth.

3.  John states in a nutshell that love, righteousness and holiness creates boldness and

     Confidence.  The writer of Hebrews gives us another angle when he stated in

     Heb 4:14-16, that because Jesus went through all the temptation as we have and yet

     Did not sin.  That means we can come boldly before the throne of grace and find

     Mercy and grace in our time of need. Let’s do the have a little fun.   Say love is, and

     finish the sentence.

 

And He will give us anything we ask.  That’s because we obey His commands.  We do what pleases Him.

 

1.  This verse talks about the power of prayer.  You want answers to prayer.  Obey His

      Commands and do what pleases Him.  I gave you six things in the first part of our

      Message.  I am going to reveal a trio of commands.  Matt 22:37-40 says to “Love the

      Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul mind and strength and love your

      neighbour as yourself.  Matt 28:19 says, “To go into the entire world and preach

     the gospel, making disciples of all men baptizing in the name of the Father, Son and

     Holy Spirit.”  Lastly, John 15:12 , Jesus tells to love one another just as I have loved

      you.”

2.  God loves to give and bless.  Obedience and purity are the key, you might sat they are  

      The grease cutters to keep the pipes clean.  You might say it is the Drano of prayer. 

    

God has commanded us to do believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ.  He has also commanded us to love one another. 

 

1.  John keeps it painfully simple.  Believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  In the

     Original text the word in IS, is not there.  So John just says, believe the name of the

     Lord Jesus Christ.   This is actually the books reference to faith.  To John, Jesus

     Was God with a face/  He believed that Jesus was the Alpha and Omega of

     Christian Thought. 

 

2.  He taught about Jesus’ incarnation and earthly ministry.  Remember he was part of

      Jesus’ inner circle, He was there at the transfiguration.  This left a lifetime mark on

     John.  Augustine writes, “John spoke like no other on the divinity of Christ but he

     Did not neglect His humanity.  He shows Jesus in relationship, sympathies and

     Friendships.  John focused on the person of Christ.”  Here is Jesus.

3.  Then John says, “He has commanded us to love one another.”  John was a man of

     Motives.  He believed it was his task to inspire action and enable relationships.  It

     Was told of John telling his audiences to love one another, because Jesus said it.  John

     Subscribe to the phrase.  “If Jesus said it, I believe it and that settles it.”  This

     Commandment by the way is not up for debate.  Roy B. Zuck wrote, “John

     Considered love as the appropriate expression of the regenerate life of which he has

     Been speaking.  Love is righteousness in action.”

4.  John was a strong believer of the love in action and the unfathomable riches it brought

     In Christ.  He also believe it needed to be communicated to and through the life of the

     Believer.    

 

Those who obey His commands remain joined to Him and He remains joined to them.

How do we know that God lives in us?  We it know it because the Holy Spirit He gave us. 

 

1.  John has the clearest understanding of the relationship between Christ and the believer

     Of any of the New Testament writers.  John recorded the upper room discourse where

     Jesus in John 15, talks about the vine and the branches.  John talked extensively about

     How Jesus Christ the Logos, (The Living Word), was the perfect union between the

     Father and the son.  If you saw one you saw the other. 

2.  The branches cannot survive without the vine or roots.  Obedience is the fruit of the

     Union between you and God.  It is the one way to stay connected and is the sign of

     This connection. 

3.  John then asks the question, “How do we know that God lives in us?  We know

     Because of the Holy Spirit He gave us.  John seemed to have the best understanding

     About the person and work of the Holy Spirit, than any other New Testament writer. 

     He understood this best because He recorded Jesus’ discussion about the Holy Spirit

     In the upper room discourse.  John describes the Holy Spirit, work, mission,

     Personality and how He would work between the believer and the Holy Spirit.  The

     Holy Spirit is the hidden worker of redemption, salvation and regeneration.  The

     Holy Spirit is the inner voice, He states with conviction.  You are a child of God. 

     Obey and love.